Album Review // Charli XCX // Brat

Atlantic Records

The Cambridge queen's sixth studio album is the soundtrack to the greatest house party you were never invited to.

In the world of contemporary pop music, Charli XCX is an artist who rarely gets the credit she deserves. From her boundary-pushing collaborations with the PC Music collective in the mid-2010s, the artist worked to define the current hyperpop soundscape on her Pop 2 mixtape. Since then, she has refined her craft, getting sharper with each subsequent project. Brat is the manifestation of Charli reaching that pinnacle.

From the first track, Charli captivates with crisp and infectious production. However, what sets Brat apart is that the mesmerizing aura of the record never stops. The perfectly curated 42 minutes is pure audiophile energy as every track flows into the next. From the powerful anthems of "Club classics" and "Von dutch" to the introspective ballads of "So I" and "I think about it all the time," the singer and her collaborators create a soundcycle that is equally as infectious as it is profound.

Brat is nothing short of extraordinary. Charli XCX has created her tour de force: the record that will define pop music for the rest of the 2020s.